Ukraine’s historic Verkhovna Rada (Rada) building, in Kyiv houses the country’s parliamentary activities and regularly hosts special assemblies that are of interest to the general Ukrainian population. All meetings are recorded and streamed live over the RADA TV channel (on cable TV and online), using robotic camera control systems from Telemetrics to make government’s work transparent to the people.

In the main chamber, a system of seven Panasonic AK-UB300 box-style cameras and Fujinon lenses mounted on Telemetrics compact pan/tilt heads; all controlled by an RCCP-1 LGS robotic camera control panel and a single operator employed by the RADA TV channel. All of the cameras are networked via a Telemetrics FTS Fiber Transmission System that provides power and control signals via a hybrid optical link to the robotic pan/tilt heads and transmits the HD video signals throughout the chamber hall.

After working successfully for over a year in 2017, the Rada—in close partnership with VisionHOUSE, a local Telemetrics reseller/systems integrator based in Kyiv, Ukraine—installed a second RCCP-1 LGS control system to allow maximum operational flexibility and redundancy in July 2018. The entire system is now fully operational and working great, according Sergiy Kravchenko, VisionHOUSE project manager.

“The Rada began using the new system in September 2018, with the start of the Parliament’s work,” Kravchenko said. “The robotic system is needed for two reasons: first, access to the session hall is restricted, and second, the cameras locations are hard to be physically accessed. It’s been very reliable and has helped us record the proceedings for historical reasons.”

Operators at the Rada said the RCCP panel’s aperture (iris) control is used most extensively to match camera images during a full multicamera production. Vision HOUSE also helped the local guys write their own specialized microphone XML interface to allow a semi-autonomous system to be created.

“The Telemetrics robotic camera system is one of the most convenient systems in the industry,” said Kravchenko. “Adding presets, automated streams, easy operation with one single person – those are great options.

“What I specifically like is the speaker visualization,” he said, referring to a feature that is included in the Telemetrics’ LGS software package of the RCCP control panel. “The system finds a desired person and automatically directs the camera to zoom in. The director can choose the best angle for the show. The system is fast, accurate and efficient.”

In addition, Andrey Mosharov, the head of VisionHOUSE’s technical support services, said that the RCCP panel provides more camera presets and a tighter integration with other third-party systems than other systems he’s worked with.

“The customer has been operational since October 2017, so we know the Telemetrics system and robotic camera technology is reliable,” Kravchenko said. “The best part is that the Ukrainian people can see what their government is doing and judge for themselves. The robotic cameras are making this possible.”

Like the Rada building, many government buildings around the world are outfitted with Telemetrics robotic camera control systems, due to their single-operator ease of use and consistent and reliable video production efficiency.